Feeder especially adapted for asparagus-handling machines.



' D. LOW-&A.-R.THQMPSON.

FEEDER ESPEClALLY ADAPTED FOB ASPARAGUS HANDLING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26. l9l8.

1,299,198; Patented Apr. 1,1919.

INVENTORS. I N 1%; /Z m y fayf a fan ATTORNEYS "U1 5 ran erase draw as.

DAVID LOW Am) ALBERT- R. THOMPSON, or SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA; 'sAinrnomrson ASSIGNOR T0 SAID LOW.

FEEDER ESPECIALLYIADAPTED roe. AsPAR'AGUs- ANDLING MACHINES.

To all whom it may concern:

haveinventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Feeders EspeciallyAdapted for Asparagus-Handling Machines, of which the following is aspeci cation. V

- Our invention relates, in general, to the class of'feeders by whichmate'rial-issup:

plied to machines to handle it; and, in v.particular,it relates tables,such,- for example, as asparaglis, to

machines" which grade the form length suitable for packing in tins.

' ile our inventionis applicable to any material composed of individualswhich, for

effective handling in the machine supplied, require to be spread out andintroduced singly, 1t ispartlcularly useful for feeding asp In the artof packing or canning asparagus, the preliminary essentials are-gradinganduniforin length, as we have in previous ,patents, namelyIda-1,257,719, Feb. 26, 1918,

i with respect to butts and tips,

the butts must lie allin the same direction.

I 1 each shoot, singly in its own individual and No? Oct. 22,; 1918,fully e plained." Y l -'To attain these-essentials with efiiciency theimportant .factor is the "maintenance throughoutthe entire operation ofthe uniform-relationofindividual shoots or stalks that is to say,

This'is foundbestacomplished by feeding pocket to the machine; and this,in turn, re-

= labor to separate thesheots and supply them quires personal care tosee that eaoh'shoot is properly and singly disposed so that the ma'terial will'reachthe-machlne as individuals 2111511 1111115011111nwithrespect to' .butts andtips.v y l i The personal carethusimposediuponthe operator, necessari the machine, fOr'lll requires:both time-and singly-and in proper relation to-the individual' pocketsof the inleading feed-belt of the machines: 1 It is the object-ofourpresent invention. to

Specification of'Letters Patent. Application filediToveinber 26, 1918.

I to a feeder which is espe ,cially adapted to supply elongatedvegetrate the handling ma stalks in-respect to thickness and.which-reducethem to uni .to deliver. t

Spreaders or teeth 12,

Patented Apr. 21, ,ieie. Serial No. 2643271. 7

' effect a saving in this regard by. providing for the automaticspreading and segregation of the shoots and their delivery singly to thefeed pockets of the machine.

.1 To this end ourinvention consists in thenovel feedenwhich We shallnow fully. de-

scribe by reference to the accompanying drawings in which," Figure 1 isaplan view of our feeder. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal'section onthe line 22 of Fig. 1. h

I Fig. '3 is a cross-section on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

We have not deemed it necessary to illuschine, which forms no.

part of our present invention though for this purpose, if desired,reference maybe had to our previous patents above mentioned,: and

particularly to the later-one, of which the belt 1 with its transversepockets 2, is the inleading feed belt. I

In advance of this belt is the frame 3 of our present feeder.

In this frame is mounted a cross shaft 4.-

which carries a line of spreading members, here shown in the form-ofteeth 5 from ahub 6, upon which hub are that the belts 9.1nay lie inclose proximity to the main feed belt 1, and be adapted, without loss of-s ace or danger of displacement 1 e asparagus shoots into the pockets2of said feedbelt, as best shown in Fi thig point serves to guide andhold each shoot. to and 1n its pocket.

, Mountedin 'theframe 3 are other crossin anysu table number. Uponshafts '11, these cross-shafts are the successive lines ofprojectingfrom hubs 13,. upon which the carrier belts 9 rest so that theteeth 12 rise above said belts. y r-limits thecapacity of Both setsofcarrier belts .7 and 9 and the spreader. teeth 5 are driven from thehub 6 driven through its gear ltfrom a pinion '15 on aside shaft 16.

The series or lines of teeth- 12 areall driven at a higher rate of projecting ounted the parallel carrlers 7, which, 111 practice, are

2. A 'frictionally driven brush 19, at

y 165 mounted on the cross shaft l the latter being driven; and,moreover, the rate of speed of each line of teeth 12 is different, beingso regulated that the line of teeth 12 immediately following the line ofteeth 5 is driven at an increased speed as compared with the speed ofthe teeth 5, and the next line of teeth 12 is driven at an increasedspeed over the speed of the first line of teeth 12 and so forth to theend line of teeth 12, nearest the pocket feed belt 1, which said endline has the highest speed.

Any suitable mechanism may be employed to differentiate the speed asdescribed. For illustration we have shown a side-shaft 20 as carrying a'sericsof pinions l7 meshing with gears 18 of successively decreasingdiameter on the ends of the cross shafts 11. The shaft 20 may be drivenby the shaft 16, through gearing 21.

lnpractice we have found it desirable to make the initial line of teeth5 larger than dividuals, j and are by said teeth the succeeding line ofteeth 12.

The operation of The asparagus shoots,

crosswise on the traveling carrier-belts 7 arrive more or less bunchedat the line of teeth 5and are picked up and carried over and in thisoperation are partly separated or spread out, the relatively large sizeof said teeth acting favorably in this regard.

Somewhat separated the sheets are delivered upon the traveling carrierbelts 9, and when they arrive at the first line' of teeth 12 they areagain picked up and carried over, and in this operation, on account ofthe increased speed of said line of teeth, a further separation orspreading of the shoots is effected.

Arriving at the next line of teeth 12 which is rotating at an increasedspeed a still further spacin or spreading of individual shoots iseflected. This operation is continued, until at the last line of teeth12, which is rotating at highest speed, the shoots are fully separatedor spread out into indelivered separately into successive pockets of thefeed belt 1.

The increased speed of all the lines of teeth 12 over the speed of thecarrier belts insures against any piling up or crowding at said lines,and the successlvely increasing speeds of said lines segregate theshoots into individuals.

We claim:

,1. A'feeder for the described purpose com prising atravelingcarrier onwhich the material rests and by which it is advanced; a series ofcross-lines of rotating spreaders disposed to act upon the advancingmaterial on the carrier to separate its component parts; and means forimparting 'to successive-lines of spreaders an increased speed ofrotation, whereby the separation of the advancing material isincreasingly effected.

prising the feeder is as follows:-

supphed in mass.

' prising 2. A feeder for the described purpose comprising a travelingcarrier ;a series of crosslines of spreaders disposedto act upon thematerial on the carrier to separate its component parts, said lines ofspreaders rotating at a higher rate of speed than the travel of thecarrier; and means for imparting to successive lines of spreaders anincreased speed of rotation whereby the separation of the material isincreasingly effected.

A feeder for the described purpose" comriers, and a series of crosslines of spreaders rising between the carriers and rotating 111 planesparallel wlth the direction of travel of said carriers, said spreadershaving a higher rate of speed than said carriers.

4:. A feeder for the described purpose comprising a series of paralleltraveling carriers on which the material rests and by which it isadvanced, and a series of cross lines of spreaders risin between thecarriers and rotating in p tne's parallel with the direction of travelof said carriers, said spreaders acting upon the advancing material onthe carriers to separate its component parts and each successive line ofspreaders having a greater speed than that of the preceding line,whereby the separation of. the advancing material is increasinglyeffected.

5. A feeder for the described purpose comprising a series of paralleltraveling carriers, and a series of cross lines of spreaders risingbetween planes parallel with the direction of travel .of said carriers,said spreader-s having a higher rate of speed than said carriers, andeach successive line of spreaders having a greater speed than that ofthe preceding line.

6. A feeder for the described purpose coma series of parallel travelingcarriers; a cross line of spreaders rising between and rotating at thesame rate of speed asthe carriers, in planes parallel with theird1rect1on of travel; and a succeeding series of cross lines of spreadersand rotating at rates the rate of travel of the carriers and in planesparallel with their direction of travel,

rising between the carriers and rotating in of speed higher thana seriesof parallel traveling careach successive line of said series ofspreaders having a greater speed preceding line.

7 A feeder for the described purpose comprising a first series ofparallel traveling carriers; a cross-shaft; a line of spreaders carriedby said shaft, said spreaders rising between said carriers and having ahub upon than that of the which the carriers are mounted and by which athey are driven; a

second series of parallel. traveling carriers, mounted upon and drivenby the hub of the said spreaders; a-series of cross shafts, eachcarrying a line of spreade'rs rising between said second carriersandhaving hubs upon which said carriers are guided; and means ,for drivingeach sue havin ceedin cross shaft at relatively higher speed guided; andmeans for drivin each suoceedthan t at of the preceding cross shaft. ingcross-shaft at relatively higher speed 8. A feeder for the describedpurpose cointhan that of the preceding cross-shaft and -5 prising afirst series of parallel traveling all at aspeed greater than the rateof travel carriers; a cross-shaft; a line of Spreaders of said secondseries of carriers. 20 carried by said shaft, said Spreaders rising Intestimony whereof We have signed our between said carriers and having ahub .upon names to this specification in the presence Which-the carriersare mounted and bywhi'ch of two subscribin witnesses.

10 they are driven; a secondseries of parallel 4 v -DA ID LOW.

traveling carriers,.mounted u onand driven ALBERT R. THOMPSON.

/ by'tl e hub ofthe aid sprea ers; a=series of Witnesses: l jcross-shafts, each carrymg a line of spread- H. M. BANz,

ers rising between said second. carriers and I 1 F. L. MoNNEn hubs uponwhich said carriers are 15

